[greymule]

NCAA: "[The] baserunner is out . . . when a member of the offensive team, other than another runner who has not yet crossed the plate, physically assists her while the ball is in play." (Defensive players can apparently assist a runner.) Further, since on the home run the ball wasn't in play, even the offensive team could have assisted her. But without searching through the NCAA book, I would figure that, as in OBR, the offense could enter a substitute runner for a physically incapacitated runner while the ball was dead.

A couple of years ago, ASA clarified their rule, which previously could have been interpreted to include an assist by members of the offense. (The old wording was simply "when anyone other than another runner assists. . . .")

Incidentally, I remember that a while back we discussed whether the physical assist of an OBR runner had to be by the coach at 1B or 3B (the only ones named in the rule). Logic would dictate that the rule would also include a player from the bench as well, just not another runner.